The Queen's Mate
by Lunaandtwilight07
Summary: Robin is heir to the throne of Sherwood, however he is tired of the constant pestering of his parents for him to find a bride. In an attempt to escape for a while, he retreats to the forest, not expecting to encounter a mystical creature searching for a prince. (OutlawQueen, Vampire AU)
1. Prince Robin of Sherwood

**Response to a prompt I received on CC. Regina is a vampire and Robin is heir to the throne in Sherwood. It'll be a couple of chapters I think, warnings for whatever comes with Vampires I suppose. ;)**

* * *

She was a woman crazed and obsessed, it was verging on insane the way she would follow him around and pine after him. He just wasn't interested, he knew what it was that she wanted, she was trying to lure him into her bed so that he would marry her, in the meanwhile she would gain all his status and what would he gain? A wife he didn't love. He'd given her more than a fair chance, even courted her for a while, but enough was enough, he couldn't stand it anymore. Maid Marian had to get the message, he just wasn't interested in her.

It was odd, because strangely enough she was the type of woman he would usually go for, most of the women he had ever courted or been attracted to had dark hair and dark eyes, she was a beautiful woman, anyone could see that, but she just wasn't the one for him, there was just something missing and he wouldn't settle for anything less than the perfect one for him. He wanted someone who possessed more fire, more possession, he wanted someone who would challenge him in every way and not cater to his every whim.

He ducked down behind a tree, catching his breath as he ran a hand through his sweat licked hair before taking an arrow from his quiver, he loved the forest and just being able to escape from his duties for a while, not having to think about being heir to the throne or having to find a bride, he could just be alone and have time to think for himself. As a prince, privacy was in somewhat short supply.

Robin heard a rustle in the trees and ducked lower, he'd been tracking a deer, he hated the act of killing, although hunting was a sport expected to be taken up by the future king, he loathed having to actually take the life of a creature. However, he wasn't doing this for sport, he was doing it for his people, this was royal land and therefore the villagers were forbidden to hunt within the forest, which in turn meant that sometime they could be without food. Robin felt it was only fair to provide them which whatever royal game he could, considering he was the prince he of course had hunting rights. He felt it was his duty to serve his people and make sure that no one went hungry.

He spotted the deer, it was grazing about fifty feet away from him, he knew that he could make the shot if he acted fast, a stag of such size would be enough food to last a couple of days for everyone in the village, it would provide more substance than the crops and little game they could catch in the fields. He knocked his arrow and pulled his arm back, keeping his eyes set on the creature before releasing, a loud squeal met his ears and he knew that most certainly wasn't a noise that the dear should make.

Robin watched as the creature darted off through the woods, he narrowed his eyes as he tried to make out what it was that had made the sound. He crept over to the clearing, his eyes falling onto a woman laid on the ground, an arrow sticking out of her leg. Flinging down his bow and quiver he dropped to the floor beside the girl, "oh god, I am so sorry, are you okay?"

Her dark eyes flickered up to his as she cowered away from him, one hand covering her mouth as the other gripped the arrow that was protruding from her leg. "I wouldn't pull that," he shook his head, his hands coming to cover hers, "I think we should get you to a doctor."

"I'm fine," she hissed, "you just cost me dinner."

"You do realise that you are on royal grounds?"

"I couldn't give a toss about royal grounds," she spat, wiping a hand over her mouth, he glanced at it and noticed that she had blood there as well as the blood that was flowing from her leg.

"Are you hurt somewhere else?"

"Why don't you leave me alone human," she sneered, sanding from the ground, her hand enclosing around the arrow as she pulled it from her leg in one violent move, throwing it to the ground.

Robin furrowed his eyebrows, human? That was a weird thing to say, he looked at her closer, taking into account the way her dark glossy curls flowed down her back and were perfectly tamed despite having just been on the ground, her clothes were also pretty immaculate and he had a feeling that maybe the blood he saw on her hand wasn't her own.

"You do realise you are staring right? Why don't you just leave, go after your deer or whatever," she rolled her eyes as she began to walk in the opposite direction.

"Why were you hunting here when it's against the law?" he asked following after her, grabbing his things from the ground and catching her up, not even thinking about what he was supposed to be doing, this was something he was interested in finding out about, it wasn't every day a woman randomly appeared in a forest that was usually pretty abandoned.

"God do you shut your mouth?" she spat, he noticed her tie something around the wound on her leg. He didn't think that anyone had ever spoken to him in such a manner before, never mind a woman, to be honest it was a refreshing change not to be respected.

"I'm merely curious, you do realise that this land belongs to me and I could have you arrested for crimes against the crown."

She stopped in her tracks and whipped around to stare at him, "you really are foolish, I do think mistress will enjoy you," she grinned evilly as there was some kind of shimmer and the brunette locks transformed into golden tresses and the eyes that had once been dark morphed into light blue, "she's always looking for a way to bargain with humans."

"What are you?" he asked, reaching for the dagger on his belt only for her to flick it away and shake her head.

"Probably your worst nightmare and then some," the blonde smirked as she stepped closer almost smelling him as he tried to move away from whatever magical creature was stood before him. "My mistress on the other hand, I have a feeling she may be both your worst nightmare and your greatest dream. You long for a challenge don't you, Prince Robert, well I hope you can manage what you wish for."

How did she know that? It was almost as though she was reading his mind, taking the thoughts straight from his head, or she had been before he'd made his attempt to capture the deer. It was then that he thought that maybe the deer hadn't been what she was hunting, in fact he had a feeling that instead of being the hunter himself, he had been the hunted all along. "Who is this mistress you keep talking about?"

"Someone is eager to find out more, you can run you know, hurry back to the castle."

"You expect me to believe that you'd let that happen? You're obviously some kind of demon."

"Demon? No, my type tends not to mix with the likes of demons."

"What are you then?"

"You already asked that question," she sighed almost in annoyance although he couldn't read the expression on her face, he had no idea what she was thinking, "are you going to give me a chase because I would love an opportunity to put my teleportation skills to the test. My kind are excellent hunters, you wouldn't get very far."

He knew he was playing with fire, he had no idea what she was or what she was capable of, but maybe he should give her the hunt she wanted, he had a feeling that if she wanted to kill him she would have done so already, it sounded more like she wanted to take him back to her mistress whoever that was. He really shouldn't play her game, but he was so sick and tired of following rules and being the perfectly behaved prince, he just wanted something to happen and if that meant being hunted by a magical creature then so be it, it was better than being hunted by Marian, Marian wouldn't even go for a walk by the lake out of fear she might get dirt on her shoes.

He smirked at her, raising a single eyebrow before taking off as quick as his feet could carry him, he knew the forest like the back of his hand and he only hoped that could be used as an advantage. After five minutes of sprinting through the foliage and jumping over roots he leant against a tree, trying to catch his breath as he looked around him, seeing if he could spot her. He turned and came face to face with a red headed woman who seemed to stare into his soul, he took a step backwards at the menacing look on her face.

"Mallory, what have I told you about playing with your food?" she sneered grabbing Robin by the neck.

"We aren't killing him Lena," the blonde reappeared as she rolled her eyes, "you know that she asked for the prince to be brought to her alive."

"Doesn't mean we can't feed from him first."

"We are not feeding from him; mistress didn't send us to feed from him."

"No, she sent us to collect him, which is what I thought you were doing and then you let him run."

Robin watched them and regretted not running whilst he had the chance, god he really shouldn't have followed the woman when she told him to leave her. How the hell was the red head so strong, he could barely breathe as her fingers wrapped around his throat like the talons of a bird wrapped around its prey. "What are you?" he choked out.

The red head stopped arguing with the blonde and turned to look at him, letting out a sinister laugh before shaking her head, "that's for us to know and you to discover," with that comment, she used her strength to fling him against a tree knocking him out cold. Now the only thing left for them to do was take him to their mistress, to their Queen.


	2. The Queen

Regina was in the throne room when someone notified her that the hunting party had returned from Sherwood Forest with a live capture, she had specifically asked for a human who would be worth something to her, someone whom she would be able to use as a bargaining chip with the other kingdoms. For too long now her kind had been prosecuted, they had been rooted out, violated and killed, something drastic needed to be done in order to bring an end to that.

She wanted peace, not that she thought the rest of her coven would be in agreement with her, many were still on the warpath after the killing of their previous Queen, her mother had been their leader for centuries before she had been captured by the King's men decades ago. No one had ever seen her again and Regina had taken her place as leader of the clan, she was their Queen and they would bow to her orders. She was the most powerful of them all and no one would even attempt to stand up against her for they knew the extent of her wrath.

Standing from her chair she lugged the heavy red material of her dress, dragging it along the ground and beginning to make her way through the room towards the corridor, "Graham, where is the prisoner now?" she questioned as he walked a couple of steps behind her, it was a mark of respect taken up by pretty much everybody within the dark palace, something her mother had put in place, not that Regina cared much for it, the thing was though, she couldn't be bothered to change the rules. She had known from the moment she sat on that throne she would need to make it know she was Queen, make sure that she maintained the authority her mother had.

"They put him in the east tower, your majesty."

"I see, well, I guess I should go and see what prize they have brought for me, I hope my sister hasn't been a disappointment again," she sighed. Zelena had been fuming when Regina had been proclaimed the rightful heir, even though she were the younger of the two, the thing was, Regina was a pureblood, whereas Zelena was only a half-blood, this had left no question as to who their people chose as their Queen. That and Cora had clearly stated that Regina was to be her heir and she was to take over the throne should anything happen to her. Sometimes Zelena had been known to mess up an operation on purpose just to annoy her, she hoped that this wasn't one of those times, especially with more and more of their kind disappearing each month.

Her heels tapped against the hard-stone floor as she made her way through the maze of winding corridors, heading for the entrance to the east tower, once she had navigated her way there, she ascended the staircase, stopping in front of a wooden door before opening it and walking into the room, finding Mal sat in the window seat looking out into the night, "so then, what have you brought me?"

The blonde turned to look at her, her blue eyes shining as she glanced towards the corner of the room, "I think you'll like this, your majesty."

Her eyes fell on the prisoner and she tilted her head before walking closer, she knew that Mal was silently watching her. She crouched down beside him, her gaze widening in realisation as she moved closer, she knew him and oh how her girls had done well.

"Pleased?" the blonde asked.

"Very," Regina nodded, standing again and looking down at their catch, "he is exactly what we need to bargain with the other kingdoms. I believe they will give us anything we ask in return for the precious boy."

"He's hardly a boy Regina," Mal grinned as she moved to look at him with her, "in fact, he's entirely your type."

"You know I don't do that anymore, I haven't felt anything like that in almost a century," she sighed with a slight eye roll, tucking her hair behind her ear, at a certain point those natural urges seemed to just stop, it was said that once a vampire touched their destined mate the urges would return once again, Regina, however, felt as though she didn't even have a mate out there, she was 223 years old, if she hadn't met her mate now, what was the likelihood that she was going to, she was destined to rule alone forever and because she was immortal, that really would be a long, long time.

"Hmm, well, maybe he might be able to change your mind."

"I doubt it," she huffed, "keep him in here and keep him asleep, I need to go change and I want to be here when he wakes up. If he wakes before I return, knock him out."

"Very well."

"Well done Mal," she grinned as she turned on her heels and headed out of the door, she wanted to speak to her sister before she freshened up in preparation for her audience with his highness.

* * *

Zelena was in the castle's kitchens when Regina found her, sat upon the counter with a chalice of blood in one hand as she sipped slowly, she looked up when Regina entered and smirked, "I think I earned this."

"Is that a vintage?" Regina chuckled as she sat on one of the chairs. The kitchen, much like the rest of the castle, was cold and dimly lit, there were animals strung around as their blood was drained, once that was complete, Regina more than often had the rest of the carcass sent to some village where the people would be happy for meat, that part of the animal wasn't exactly any use to her, or to any of her people for that matter. Although, some of her kind did have human mates and they would have the first choice of the meat before it was sent away.

"Hmm, from mother's secret stash," the red-head laughed.

Regina found the bottle, reading the label, "a nobleman?"

"Yes, I do miss the times when we could hunt properly and feed right."

The brunette sighed and shook her head, she had outlawed the hunting of humans for a reason, it wasn't right and she found it rather sickening, sure it depended on the human that was being hunted, there had been the odd occasion where she had witnessed someone commit a terrible crime and she decided that maybe feeding on them wouldn't be so bad, she would let her sister take them. That hadn't happened for a while and she could tell that Zelena was getting restless, she wasn't like her, she couldn't control her urges, as well as Regina, could. "You know we can't do that anymore."

"It's not natural for us to just survive off animals, I need something more stimulating, something alive."

"Go catch yourself a live animal then, no humans…"

"Regina…"

"No humans," she snapped, pushing the bottle of blood away from her, "you can drink from the stash, but as for hunting, you are not to target anything other than animals, am I clear?"

Zelena just scoffed and pushed herself off the counter, glaring at her sister, "one day, you won't be around to stop us, your majesty."

Regina closed her eyes and tried to keep her temper in check, her sister was infuriating and clearly jealous of the position that Regina held within the coven, she always had been, but to threaten her was taking it to a whole other level. She stalked closer to her stopping in front of her, "don't threaten me Zelena. I came to congratulate you for bringing back our prisoner, but if you threaten me I won't be responsible for my actions," she breathed before backing away and heading for the door, hopefully, Zelena got the message. She wasn't powerful enough to take on the Queen of the coven.

Once she was out of the area she headed for her chambers, her room was just as dark as the rest of the castle, there were deep red curtains which covered the windows, blocking the daylight out, too much sun could be dangerous for her kind so she chose to shut it out for the most part. With a sigh she dropped down on to the purple silk bedspread, a human she once knew had asked her why she didn't sleep in a coffin, she had simply laughed and stated that it was way too cliché and nowhere near as comfortable as an actual mattress with sheets.

Closing her eyes, she brought her feet up onto the bed, she needed to rest a while before she talked to the prisoner, something which was bound to be more than interesting.

* * *

After her rest, she changed into a form-fitting burgundy dress, it had a slight train and no back, the heels underneath made her seem much taller than she actually was and she hoped it gave the impression that she was someone to be afraid of. Regina headed towards the east tower, swinging open the heavy door to find Mal still sat in the window seat, "has he awoken yet?"

"No," the blonde shook her head, standing from where she was perched and giving Regina the once over, "someone's gone all out, loving the menacing makeover," she gestured to Regina's face.

"I think fear could be our best asset in this situation dear," she stated as she walked to sit in the hardwood chair that was on the opposite wall to where the prisoner was sat, "you may leave us, I think I can handle this alone."

Maleficent nodded and left her in the room with the prisoner, Regina's eyes landed on him, watching as he slept, Mal was especially good at making people sleep if she needed them to, she was pretty apt at hypnosis.

The man himself was very good looking, slightly rugged perhaps, but in a way, that made him totally pleasing to look at, she'd seen him once before, a few years prior she had slipped into a royal ball at the palace, he'd watched her that night and she'd watched him also, but as soon as he grew the nerve to come and speak to her she had excused herself and left. He'd asked her to dance and if there was one thing she couldn't do, it was dance, so she left, ran from the ball back to the safety of the castle.

She saw him stir and sat up straight, his eyes opened slowly and he suddenly shot upright, looking around frantically, Regina simply grinned, "finally awake I see, I've been waiting for you, Prince Robert."

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 **A/N Hi, thank you all so much for reading! I really hoped you enjoyed it! Now we've met our leading characters the chapters will get longer. I know they have been short so far, but I wanted to set the scene. Thanks again for reading! :)**


	3. Getting acquainted

**I know it has been a long time, but here is a new chapter! Finally!**

* * *

When Robin awoke he was laid on some fur with his hands locked together by metal cuffs, he shot up from where he was sat, looking around him, trying to work out where the hell he was. Those magical women had taken him somewhere, he was in a cold dark room with not a window in sight. He rubbed a hand over his eyes and let out a groan, he remembered being flung into a tree by the red-headed demon or whatever she said she was. He also had a recollection of asking her what she was but couldn't remember what her answer had been.

His eyes fixed on a woman sat on her throne, her dark eyes staring into his very soul as her face remained stoic before a somewhat evil smile formed on her features. "Finally awake I see, I've been waiting for you, Prince Robert."

"Who are you?" he asked, he wanted answers, needed to know why he had been taken by those creatures, but first and foremost he needed to know who he was actually dealing with, or for a better question, what.

"I am the Queen of this coven."

"What are you, witches?"

"Oh lord heavens no," she shook her head in disgust, she knew that the prince wasn't used to seeing anyone who wasn't human, but she really wished that he wouldn't jump to conclusions such as that one. "No, we have a much worse reputation than witches within your kingdom. In fact, I think you may paint us as kin to the devil himself, although I don't know where you are drawing your information from because we really aren't as bad as your people make us out to be." She was, of course, referring to the fact that she had outlawed the practice of hunting humans as soon as she assumed her rightful position as head of the coven.

"You still haven't told me what you actually are," he stated, watching as the stunning creature moved in her throne and stood up. He was feeling increasingly intimidated by this woman, he didn't know if it was because he knew she wasn't human, or if it was because she was entirely too beautiful.

"We're Vampires," Regina stated, her tongue running across one of her extended fangs as she picked up a goblet from the side table and took a sip from it, drinking the red liquid.

"Vampires?" Robin felt himself pale a little, he knew the reputation vampires held, his father had always told him that vampires were the worst kind of supernatural beings, mainly for their complete disregard for human life.

"Indeed," she grinned, loving the look of fear that washed over his features. She knew it was mean to tease, but she liked to scare people and Robin was no exception, his fear excited her. She sat on the arm of the elaborate throne gold throne, crossing one leg over the other as Robin managed to stand from the ground. The chalice was still in her hand, suspended in the air as she held onto it with little effort.

"Is that… is it blood?"

She looked down at the goblet in her hand and swirled the liquid that was inside before standing and moving over to him slowly, an evil smile coming onto her features as she held the beverage out towards him, "why don't you taste it and find out?"

"I'd rather not if its all the same to you."

"Suit yourself, this blend just happens to be from a very good year, its vintage, made from the very best Italian men," she grinned before catching herself and putting him out of his misery, "I meant made from the very best grapes by Italian men, I apologise for the slip of the tongue."

"So, it's wine?"

"Yes," she laughed wickedly, sweeping her deep red train across the ground as she circled around him, tilting her head to the side as she got a better look at him. He was absolutely delicious on the eyes, not just that but he smelt delicious too, she was having a hard time restraining herself from having just a little taste. However, rules were rules, no humans were to be killed or even harmed for vampire consumption, not whilst she was on the throne. "Such a shame," Regina whispered, reaching out and running her fingers over his shoulder.

"Would you stop looking at me as though I'm your next meal."

"You definitely caught me a feisty one here Mal. Don't worry your highness, I tend to prefer a different species for my meals. Human is a rather acquired taste, one I can't say I have… anymore that is." Now that she was older she had more control over her instincts, she could stop herself from doing things, from killing humans, when she'd been younger that had proven to be a much harder feat.

"So, you don't drink human blood?"

"No, none of us do, which is actually what I have brought you here to talk about."

"Forgive me if I don't follow."

"My people are being killed and hunted by your own. Under my reign the hunting of humans is outlawed, we follow the peace treaties put in place with your father, yet it seems your people decided not to honour those treaties," she stated, malice clearly present in her voice. The truth was she was growing tired of having to play the part of the better ruler when her people were being murdered she had a right to speak up about it and that was exactly what she was doing. She was making her point known.

"I know nothing about that."

"Of course, you don't, but daddy dearest does. He hides it, the royal court hides it. It is against the peace agreement, yet your father conspires to kill my people," she spat, walking over to the window and stopping there to look out into the night. She was trying to keep her calm, the last thing she needed to do was fly off the handle, but the situation just made her so angry that sometimes it was hard for her to maintain control of her rage. "My people are dying and I will not stand back and allow it to happen."

Robin watched her, she was clearly tormented about the situation and he had a bad feeling that if his father didn't put a stop to whatever he had been doing and quickly, the Queen might not be so willing to be civil. He'd personally not heard anything about what was happening and knew nothing about any kind of peace treaty, although to be honest, he'd thought that vampires had been nothing more than old wives' tales before a few moments ago. "What can I do to help?"

Regina's head shot around as she stared at him in shock, she hadn't been expecting that kind of reaction, in fact, she had been expecting him to call her crazy before trying to run the hell away from her. She hadn't met many humans in her time, but the ones she had met hadn't been half as understanding as the prince in front of her. "You would actually be willing to help?"

"Despite the fact that you had me drugged, kidnapped, brought to your dark desolate castle and put in chains, yes. I can see how desperate you are…"

"I'm not desperate," she snapped, glaring at him.

"Okay, not desperate then, but you are in need of help, my help. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here, what was your original plan when you had your cronies abduct me?"

"I was going to use you as a bargaining chip, as long as I had the king's precious son, he wouldn't dare hurt any of my people. Not when I could be doing terribly sinful things to his dearest first-born boy," she paced towards him, stopping in front of him and reaching out to grasp his chin, her long red painted nails digging in slightly to his flesh. She was a little taken aback by the wave of feeling that flooded her at the contact but didn't show any change in emotion on her features.

Robin, on the other hand, wasn't able to school his expression quick enough, his eyes widened as he stared at her, she really was exquisite. It was only now when she was so close to him that he realised just how truly breathtaking she was. Her skin was deathly pale in contrast to her blood red lips which sported a prominent scar something that turned him on way more than it should have. The Queen's eyes were almost as dark as her raven hair and it was as though he could see into her very soul through their depths. "What kind of sinful things?"

Regina chuckled darkly, watching as he swallowed, she could sense the lust he was feeling and decided to pull away, dropping her hand from his face, not resisting the temptation to drag her nails across his stubble. "I don't know if you want to know," she breathed moving close enough to him to be able to smell the blood flowing through his veins. She really needed to get a hold of herself before she got out of control before she was tempted to sample what he had to offer. "We should return back to the matter at hand."

Robin said nothing in return, his eyes still latched on her as she moved back to perch on her throne, crossing one of her legs over the other causing the red fabric to slip down and expose her silky-smooth thigh and impossibly high heel. How was he supposed to concentrate on what she was saying when she was sitting there like that? He was quickly becoming infatuated with her and that had never happened, he'd never had that problem before. No one had ever captured his attention as she did.

"However, it seems that you're distracted. I shall come and see you later, for now, I will have Mal show you to your room. You are my guest here," she smiled before her expression turned dark, "but make no mistake, if you try to run, we will hunt you and we never fail to catch our prey. I hope you have a pleasant stay and maybe we can talk later over dinner."

With that she stood from her throne and left him standing in the middle of the throne room, still trying to recover from what just happened. He didn't know what the hell he was feeling, his brain was so smashed by that woman that he was having a hard time feeling anything but arousal. Seeing a woman so powerful and in command was sexy as hell, where he was from he was used to seeing women being meek and submissive housewives, so the Queen was quite the contrast and it was one that made her entirely too attractive.

He knew he should probably be scared, she had been threatening him and technically although she had said he was her guest, he was her prisoner, she had made it quite clear that he had no choice but to stay. He should want to be running away, these people were vampires, dangerous creatures and they had taken him against his will in order to make him change things within the kingdom. He wasn't scared and he didn't want to run away, well not fully, there was the smallest part of him that was saying that it was a bad idea to even talk to the Queen, but for the most part, he was excited for something to happen in his usually dull existence.

* * *

When Regina reached her chambers, she flung the doors open before closing them behind her, she needed to get a handle on herself, she'd been getting carried away, she'd wanted something that she hadn't wanted in years. She flopped down onto her bed and ran her hands over her face, she didn't know what it was about him, but it made her feel as though she were losing control, like she needed him and couldn't do anything to make that feeling go away.

She knew that it was probably just a temporary feeling of lust, but the thing that alarmed her was the fact that she hadn't felt this way in decades. She thought the time in her life where she felt sexually excited was over, but now it seemed to creep up on her and nearly knocked her straight off her feet. She knew she would have to be extremely careful around him.

"So, did you talk to our prisoner?" her sister's voice questioned as she looked up to see the red-head at the door to her room as she entered without invitation. "Was he willing to listen to you?"

"More than willing," she breathed, she imagined that she could probably have had him doing just about anything for her should she ask. "Trust me I think the prince will be co-operating with us."

"Oooh goodie. Would you mind if I sampled what he has to offer? He is rather delicious."

Regina moved at almost lightning speed as her hand enclosed around her sister's throat, applying just enough pressure to make the woman listen to her, "don't you dare even think about laying a finger on him, do you hear me? He's not here for you, not in any sense of the word."

"So, he's yours then, is he? What about you, what are you allowed to do with him?"

"Nothing, no one will be doing anything with him, we will be leaving him be, he is the key to making sure that no harm comes to any more of our people, so in turn, we must make sure that the prince returns to his kingdom unscathed. Its one thing making threats to scare him and it another thing completely to actually go through with them," she spat, dropping her sister and turning her back on her. "I don't want you going anywhere near him, so I'm sending you on a new assignment."

"You've got to be kidding me!"

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Regina asked, her eyes staring into her sister's. "I need you to go and check up on some of our far-off colonies, I need to make sure that they are adhering to our laws. Do you think you might be capable of doing that?"

"I can't believe you are making me do this," she groaned in annoyance. Regina could see that she had angered the other woman, but right now she didn't really care, she just needed her out from under her feet. Se needed her away from her so that she could concentrate on what she needed to do without having to worry about her sister comparing their situation.

"Well, I am, I want you gone by tonight, each of the five colonies is to have a thorough assessment, I want you to take people with you, you can choose your own team of three, but you're not taking Mal, she is to stay here."

"You are such a bitch."

"Right back at you sister," she hissed before turning and opening the door to her chambers, "good luck on your trip dearest."

Zelena flung one last glare her way as she exited the room, "you aren't even supposed to be Queen!"

* * *

The blonde one led Robin to a room before opening the door for him, "the mistress as requested that we not lock you in. She is trusting that you will not run away and you'll offer her the courtesy of joining her for supper in the main dining hall."

"What does she have for dinner? Blood?"

"Sometimes," the blonde nodded, her expression never changing from stoic.

Robin sighed as he walked into the room he was being offered and the woman disappeared, leaving him there. It was a huge room, the ceilings hosted massive wooden beams which held up the structure, there was a four-poster bed in the middle of the room, the sheets were deep crimson silk and he shuddered slightly. It was freezing, that was the first thing he noticed, there was no heat in the room and the massive un-insulated window just added to the temperature. The window was framed with heavy, dark blackout drapes, but he assumed that was for during the day when the sun was at its strongest.

He sat down on the bed, before pulling his legs up and staring at the ceiling, it was only then that he noticed a painted mural directly above the bed. It was of her, the Queen, she was sitting upon the throne, her face looking as serious as ever, but there were a couple of differences in the painting compared to the woman he had talked to earlier that day. Her eyes in the painting were red, deep red and there were clear fangs which defined her species, in one way the image was unsettling and in another it totally turned him on. He was starting to realise that this woman always had him lusting for her, even if she didn't know it.

Once he'd had a lie-down, he wanted to go and look around the rest of the castle, the Queen never said that he wasn't allowed to leave his chambers, she just didn't want him leaving the castle. Taking a deep breath, he headed out onto the corridor, it was just as dark as the rest of the castle, but for some reason seemed a lot colder. The walls were covered in portraits that looked centuries old, each of them depicting what he assumed to be Vampire royalty.

He stopped at one which showed a harsh-faced woman sat on the throne with two children stood beside her, the one on the left had red curls and blue eyes, her porcelain skin matching that of her mother's. Whilst the one on the right was smaller with dark hair and dark eyes, she clutched a doll in her hands as she looked directly at whoever was painting the portrait. He could tell almost immediately who that child was, he knew it was the Queen, there was just something about her.

Robin heard a door slam from in front of him and turned to see the red-headed woman from the hunt storm down the corridor in the opposite direction. He glanced back to the painting and realised that she must be the Queen's sister. Something clearly had her in a mood and he definitely didn't want to get in her way, in fact, he would be quite happy not having to see her again. He wasn't scared of her as such, but he'd witnessed first hand how powerful she was. He had a feeling that the Queen would make sure nothing happened to him.

It was then that he heard a glass smash against the wall of the room she'd just come out of and the brunette he was just thinking about stormed out of the room after the other woman. "You come back here right now Zelena! You know exactly why I'm Queen and you aren't!"

"You really want to start that one now?!" she screamed, appearing once again as she moved in what seemed to be the blink of an eye towards Regina.

"You are the one who started it!"

"You really want to know how I feel about you becoming Queen instead of me?!"

"Yes! Yes, I do!"

"Fine! I hate you, Regina! You stole my life, you took everything and everyone in this coven is suffering because of you! We don't even eat properly because of you!"

"Killing people is wrong Zelena!"

"Give it a rest! That's what we're supposed to do, we're Vampires, we're supposed to hunt and feed on humans, not animals!"

"And if you were Queen we would be at war right now! Most of us would have been murdered. I made peace between us and the humans. I made sure that there was stability for our people, so what if you have to eat something that isn't human at least you're still alive to eat," Regina breathed, trying to calm herself down, she was so close to losing it with her sister and actually lunging at her, but she knew that wasn't the answer to this argument.

"That's such bullshit, Regina. You know what, maybe I should form my own coven."

"Are you threatening treason?" Regina seethed, taking a step closer to Zelena. She couldn't believe that she would actually say something like that, how did she have the nerve to be so brazen?

"Maybe I am."

"Go do the job I set out for you Zelena and we'll just forget this conversation ever happened," Regina ordered, putting an end to what was going on, she didn't have the energy to argue with her sister any more.

"Like its that easy," the red-head spat before turning and retreating once again.

It was only when her sister was out of sight that Regina's senses picked up on the person watching them, she whipped around seeing the prince staring straight at her with a look of shock on his face. She straightened her dress before walking towards him, "did you witness the entire argument?"

"I think so," he nodded. It had been one hell of a show, they were both so determined and totally sure that they were right. Personally, he would side with the vampire not wanting to let people kill humans, Regina seemed as though she knew what she was doing, she thought about things logically, whereas Zelena just seemed to want to do whatever the hell she wanted no matter what trouble that got her into.

"Well, you are not to remember anything you just saw," she ordered, staring into his eyes, her own glowing a purple colour before turning back to their normal dark brown. She couldn't have him knowing about her argument, she needed it to remain private in case he tried to use it against her, tried to use it to make her coven fall.

Robin looked at her in confusion, "what were we just talking about?"

"I asked you if you were hungry," she quipped, deciding to distract him using food.

"It depends what food you've got," he grinned playfully, only half joking. He hoped to god that she actually had some edible food because he was hungry and definitely not game for drinking blood of any type.

A small smirk graced her lips as she shook her head at him, "follow me," she ordered, continuing to walk down the seemingly never-ending corridor.

Robin did as he was told, he knew that he would never find where he was supposed to go otherwise, the place was so big that he could quite easily get lost and he had a feeling that he didn't want to do that with Zelena around. He followed Regina down some windy stairs and through yet more dimly lit corridors until they reached a huge dining room. Inside there was a massive table with too many chairs to count, at one end of the table there was what seemed like a feast set up for the two of them.

"I'm sure you'll find something you like from the selection," Regina quipped, gesturing to all the delicacies laid out before them. She took her seat at the head of the table before motioning for him to sit in the chair beside her.

"What's with the giant dining table?" Robin asked, looking down at the thirty plus extra seats that were currently empty.

"I like to entertain guests," she stated simply as she picked up a jug and poured some of the substance inside into a chalice in front of her. "I hope you don't mind this."

He looked to the goblet and realised that this time the contents weren't wine, it made him shudder somewhat, but he shook his head in response, not wanting to offend her in her own castle. "Is that all you feed on? Or…"

"I do sometimes eat, but most of our energy comes from the blood," Regina sighed, taking a small sip of the red liquid before putting a little bit of food on her plate. Food to her tasted somewhat bland and didn't provide as much energy as the blood did. "Anyway, just help yourself to whatever you like," she instructed.

Robin plated some of the food as he watched her take small bites of her own before washing it down with a sip from her chalice. He noticed that where the food had wiped away her lipstick when she would have a drink her lips would be stained red once again. It was a strange feeling watching her drink blood, it was slightly unsettling, but yet again, the way she went about it was so discrete that unless she had actually told you what she was drinking, you wouldn't know. She certainly wasn't a stereotypical vampire.

"Is there a difference?"

"Pardon?" she looked over to him, not exactly sure of what he was asking her.

"Is there a difference between animal and human blood?"

She cleared her throat as she thought about the best way to answer his question. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she sipped her drink before speaking up, "yes, there is a difference."

"What is it?"

"Well, animal blood isn't necessarily as energising, it doesn't give you the intense kick that human blood does. I guess you don't feel as strong," she admitted, feeling slightly awkward about the conversation that was going. It wasn't exactly easy talking to someone about what their people tasted like.

"Okay," he nodded, trying some of the food on his plate and realising that it didn't taste half bad. He didn't know why he'd asked that question because now he just felt weird about it.

They ate in silence, neither thinking of anything to say to the other. Regina was becoming increasingly uncomfortable and started shuffling in her seat a little, she needed to say something to breach the quiet. "Who knew you were going out hunting this afternoon?" she questioned.

"I actually snuck out," he grinned playfully before his smile dropped in realisation, "my mother will be having a panic attack right now," he worried.

"I shall send a messenger," Regina stated as she gestured for the butler to come over to her. "Please have one of the humans deliver a message to the King and Queen of Sherwood. It must tell them that Prince Robert is safe and decided to stay with a friend in a neighbouring kingdom for the night," she instructed before turning to Robin, "which of your friends live in a near kingdom?"

"Urm, I suppose you could tell them I'm staying with Prince Phillip," he shrugged.

"Prince Phillip it is," Regina nodded sending the man on his way with a wave of the hand. "You must be feeling tired," she stated, only just realising that he'd been up for much longer than her. "I'll see you in the morning, I assume you can your way back to your room."

"Yes, I..."

"Goodnight then," she quipped, standing from her chair and taking her drink with her as she headed towards the conference room. It was time to talk with her council about what they were going to do next.


End file.
